Effect of calendula officinalis on the expression of HIF-1α, BDNF and antioxidant enzyme genes mRNA in rat cardiac tissues under hypoxia

Perinatal hypoxia impairs cardiovascular development by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction, a metabolic shift toward anaerobic glycolysis, and oxidative stress. Identification of effective plant-derived antihypoxic agents remains a relevant objective of experimental pharmacology.
Aim: to investigate the effect of prenatal administration of Calendula officinalis extract on mRNA expression of antioxidant enzyme genes in cardiac tissue of rat pups subjected to acute normobaric hypoxia.
Materials and methods. The study was performed on Wistar rats. Pregnant females (n=20) received intragastric administration of either distilled water (group 1) or aqueous Calendula officinalis extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg (group 2) from the first day of gestation until delivery. On postnatal day 2, pups were exposed to acute normobaric hypoxia (8% O₂, 37°C, 2 h). mRNA expression of Sod1, Cat, GPX1, and GSR in cardiac tissue was assessed by real-time PCR immediately after hypoxia and on days 1, 7, and 14 of observation (n=40 pups per group).
Results. Immediately following hypoxia, both groups exhibited a marked upregulation of Sod1, Cat, and GSR alongside a significant decrease in GPX1; both effects were more pronounced in females. Expression levels gradually returned to baseline over subsequent time points. In group 2, the amplitude of gene expression fluctuations was significantly attenuated, and by day 14 mRNA levels of all four genes were comparable to those of intact animals.
Conclusion. Prenatal administration of Calendula officinalis extract modulates the myocardial antioxidant response to acute hypoxia, accelerating the restoration of the antioxidant enzyme transcriptional profile — an effect indicative of pronounced biological activity of the compounds present in the extract.

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